Many different fin designs for surfboards have been presented, including the use of a single fin, twin fins, tri-fins, and quad fins. Many efforts have been made to change and improve the riding characteristics of surfboards by adding channels, cutaways, troughs, or other hydrodynamic changes to the bottom surface of the boards. There has also been the use of pivoting fins that rotate in the “yaw” axis similar to a rudder on a boat in an attempt improve the turning characteristics of surfboards. Our experience has shown that there is greater promise in increasing the performance and maneuverability of a surfboard by using a pivoting fin that has a limited degree of rotation in the “roll” axis of the surfboard, acting on the same axis as the ailerons on an airplane. This type of fin is described in U.S. Pat. Nos. 5,664,979 and 5,813,890 which are incorporated by reference in their entirety.
An obstacle to delivering a pivoting fin to the surfing public has been the difficulty of making a pivoting mechanism that is both hydrodynamic and strong enough to handle the cantilevered impact loads encountered in surfing. Also, there is a general objection by the surfing community to the extra bulk of the pivoting mechanism and the perceived hydrodynamic drag.
The benefits of the present invention are the ability to produce a pivoting mechanism that is reliably secured to the board, strong enough to handle the expected loads caused by water impacting the fin and the board, aesthetically pleasing, and provide a lower level of hydrodynamic drag.
All of these features are important in creating an improved means of divergence and improving water sports skills and equipment testing and design, in particular for the sport of surfing. This all adds to more challenges and conveniences for the consumer.